1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to perfume compositions. More particularly, the present invention relates to a chemical composition that exhibits different olfactive characteristics when applied to the skin of different individuals, so as to appear to be a customized fragrance.
2. Description of Related Art
Humans have applied scents and fragrances to their skin since antiquity. Originally these aesthetically pleasing materials were commonly isolated in raw form as resins, gums or essential oils from natural sources such as the bark, roots, leaves and fruit of indigenous plants. These resins, gums, and oils were directly applied to the body or diluted with water or other solvents, including in some cases, wine.
For the purposes of the present invention the terms “perfume” and “fragrance” are essentially synonymous and are used collectively or interchangeably throughout the present specification and are taken to mean the more concentrated forms of fragrance-containing compositions. Aspects of the present invention which apply to “perfumes” will therefore apply equally to “fragrances” and vice versa. Typically, colognes, eau de toilettes, after shaves, and other fragrance-containing embodiments are perfumes or fragrances which have a greater degree of dilution, usually by a volatile carrier such as ethanol.
Mixtures of fragrance materials are known by those skilled in the art of fragrances and perfumes as “accords.” The term “accord” as used herein is defined as a mixture of two or more fragrance raw materials which are artfully combined to impart a pleasurable scent, odor, essence, or fragrance characteristic.
Fragrances are manufactured in varying concentrations of essential oils in alcohol and other organic solvents, designated in order of increasing concentration as eau de toilette, after shave or toilet water 2–5%; eau de cologne or cologne, 5–10%; eau de parfum or eau de perfume, 11–15%; and perfum or perfume, 16–50%. Users perceive perfume to be richer more full bodied than a less concentrated cologne and when applied to skin, perfume emits a stronger more persistent scent.
With the advent of modern chemistry, individual components responsible for the odor properties of these resins, gums and oils were isolated and subsequently characterized. Modern perfumery involves the artful compounding of fragrance materials to achieve novel fragrance compositions having defined characteristics. Many modern fragrances are no longer derived from natural sources but are synthesized by modern chemical methods as highly pure fragrance raw materials. These materials are currently formulated to produce fine perfumes, colognes, eau de toilettes, after-shave lotions, and other personal fragrance compositions. Typical components which comprise perfume fragrances are linear and cyclic alkenes (i.e., terpenes), primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, nitrites, ethers, saturated and unsaturated aldehydes, esters, ketones, and mixtures thereof. The characteristic scent of a particular fragrance is determined by the balance of its unique mixture of components.
Those skilled in the art of preparing these fragrance-containing compositions have categorized fragrances into three types based on their relative volatility; top, middle, and base notes. For the purposes of the present invention “top note” fragrances are defined as fragrances having a high vapor pressure, and when applied to a paper sachet, vaporization takes place within 2 hours, and no scent remains; essentially, the initial impression of the perfume formulation is provided by top notes.
For the purposes of the present invention “middle note” fragrances are defined as fragrances having a medium vapor pressure, and when applied to a paper sachet, the scent remains from about 2 to about 6 hours; essentially, middle notes provide the skeleton of the perfume formulation.
For the purposes of the present invention “base note” fragrances are defined as fragrances having a low vapor pressure and high retentivity, and when applied to a paper sachet, the scent remains for more than about 6 hours; essentially, base notes provide the characteristic of the perfume formulation.
Top, middle, and base notes each serve a different purpose in the blending of fragrances and when properly formulated produce a “balanced fragrance” composition. The key to successfully formulating a fragrance-containing composition is the precise balance between these three groups of materials producing a fragrance-containing composition that diffuses during its evaporation in a manner which has an aesthetic quality.
It is recognized by those skilled in the art that descriptors which relate to aesthetic perceptions such as “top,” “middle” and “base” notes are relative terms. A fragrance raw material categorized as a top note by one formulator usually has the identical classification among most other perfumers. The same is true for the middle and base notes; however, occasionally one formulator may classify a given fragrance raw material as a middle note rather than a top note, or vice versa, but this fact does not diminish the utility of a given compound or its absolute identity. Top, middle and base notes are now combined in a reproducible manner to produce perfumes, colognes, after-shave lotions, eau de toilettes, etc. for application to skin, which have unique and pleasant odor characteristics. Perfumers usually desire to produce a persistent and consistent scent in their fragrances throughout their period of evaporation.
Due to the uneven rate of evaporation of the components which comprise a fine perfume or fragrance, the initial fragrance may be quite different than the aroma perceived several hours later. This is generally perceived as a problem and is solved in many different ways by the user. One method is to “load up” on the perfume initially and rely on the natural evaporation rate to diminish the fragrance to a suitable level several hours later when the desired effect is needed. Another method which is used is to continually renew the fragrance by reapplying small amounts of the perfume to the skin at short time intervals. Neither of these solutions is adequate to overcome the diminishing level of top and middle notes over time. In fact, base notes which are present over a protracted period by virtue of their low volatility, begin to accumulate with each “re-freshing” of perfume. After some time these base notes overwhelm the other fragrance notes and destroy the original fragrance balance.
Fragrance characteristics can be varied by manipulating pH, component solubility and molecular weight, among other factors. These factors can be manipulated both in the fragrance composition and on the medium on which the fragrance is applied, e.g., human skin. The changes resulting from manipulation of these properties are often unpredictable at first. Several general characteristics can be predicted, however. Perfumes which release their fragrance materials in an acid containing medium such as the acid mantle of skin can be suitably formulated into highly alkaline matrices which typically comprise roll-on deodorants, creams, lotions, etc. Many of the fragrance ingredients which comprise perfumes, colognes, eau de toilettes, after-shave lotions, etc. are not suitable for inclusion in an alkaline pH environment; for example, many of the commonly known fragrance notes are esters and they are susceptible to hydrolysis at pH levels much above neutrality.
Human skin exhibits a “buffer capacity” which vigorously maintains a fairly constant pH value. This buffer capacity is referred to as “the acid mantle.” Human skin acts rapidly to neutralize acidic or alkaline insults outside this constant pH value. This is why perfumes usually exhibit the same fragrance characteristics when applied on different individuals. Typical human skin pH ranges are from about 5 to about 7.
Nevertheless, fragrances shift in scent somewhat on application to different individuals, and olfactory discrimination varies from person to person. Balanced against subjective olfactory perception is the relative inability of most persons to discriminate precisely among scents. It is unusual, however, for one fragrance to appear to be a different fragrance when applied on different individuals. In fact, such a quality is generally perceived to be a flaw in a fragrance composition and is sought to be avoided.
Prior art efforts to manipulate fragrance properties to create new and improved fragrances have focused on improving scent consistency and longevity. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,707 to Barr et al. teaches fragrance compositions that are longer lasting and that have enhanced efficacy in that they retain the top note fragrance in a balanced manner over a relatively long period of time, in order to mask body malodor. The desired results are accomplished by including acetyl hexamethyl tetralin in the composition in an amount of 10%/−28% by weight of the overall composition.
Another example of prior art efforts to manipulate fragrance properties is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,618 to Morelli et al., which teaches fragrance compositions exhibiting odor longevity by controlling the release of the top, middle and base note fragrances and selecting notes that appear to blend into each other as they fade.
Still another example of prior art efforts to manipulate fragrance properties is disclosed in each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,238,915 and 5,382,567 to Fuwa et al., which teaches a controlled release fragrance that results when the fragrance is included in a cyclodextrine compound solution. The cyclodextrine solution's solubility, and therefore the fragrance component's inclusion ability, is changed depending on pH. A pH adjusting substance is used to manipulate fragrance release.
Still other prior art efforts to manipulate fragrance properties include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,378,468 and 5,626,852 to Soffis et al., which teaches a fragrancing composition having fragrancing components that are not activated until application to skin, the result achieved by manipulating the composition's pH such that fragrance is not released until the pH changes upon contact with skin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,709 to Cella et al., which teaches compositions and methods for enhancing the quality of applied fragrances by means of a fixative agent; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,464,291 to Specker et al., which teaches the use of norbornyl esters to enhance the aroma of perfume compositions.
As can be noted, prior art efforts have revealed many unexpected ways of manipulating fragrance properties such as strength, release rates and activation upon contact with skin. However, these prior art discoveries teach persons of skill in the fragrance art how to make fragrances consistent and definite. None of the above-described prior art items suggest or teach the opposite; i.e., formulation of fragrance compositions that exhibit markedly different olfactive characteristics when applied on different individuals.
The formulation of fragrance compositions is not always a predictable science due to the interrelationship between the structure, solubility and other properties of the materials combined in the composition. The present invention is an example of such unexpected results obtained from a novel combination of fragrance materials. The unexpected result is a fragrance that exhibits marked variation in scent when applied on different individuals, to the extent that individuals wearing the same fragrance composition of the present invention perceive it to be a different composition.